February 20, 2009

I Have A New Toy!

Hubby bought me a heart rate monitor, not the on board type, but the kind they use at the vet checks. So now I can teach the Phebes to have her pulse check without kicking the volunteer at the pulse gate, or the vet! At least that is the plan. Think I'll clip some fur though so I can get a pulse easier.

I'm just tired out! If I don't have another weather melt down this weekend, I'd like to ride. We'll see... ~E.G.

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Log Book 2016

February: Started some slow trail rides.
March-April: Added trotting and started hillwork.
May: completed INDY, but had post ride complication from low calcium. Bloodwork followed and cleared to continue riding one week later. Her sodium level was borderline low, need to supplement?
June 3, 2016:Top of the Rock, did not start, gut sounds were a C evening before the ride, and degraded to C- the morning of, so I told them I wasn't starting. Once we got home she ate and drank, was fine. It is either the concentrated electrolyte setting her off, or she's stressing over the trailer ride. We have not had this kind of issue before. Will work at ways to correct this.
June 6, 2016 Fixed her a bucket with Max E Glo, oz of salt, and a cup of oats, half filled with water. She drained it.
June 7, 2016 We start training for a 50 as of today. My goal is to stretch out our trotting sessions and maintaining a 5 mph+ on conditioning rides. We will start short distance, tonight only 3.5 miles at a sustained trot, with a long hill on each lap we walk, jogged. Our speed average was 5.4 mph. Next time we will add about another half mile and try to maintain that speed. (Target goal is ten miles, at pace of 5.4-5.5 mph)using our little 3/4 mile loop for consistency to see if we are improving over time. Then we will move on to the next goal. She spun back this evening and unloaded me. I'm getting too old for this falling off crap.
June 10, 2016 No garmin today, I was actually out on a mission to find my lost sponge. It dropped off on a training ride a couple of weeks ago, so we just slipped over to the north side of the creek and attempted to somewhat retrace our route. Plodding along, being eaten by deer flies. Hot and humid today, Journey a little full of herself. Hoping to get my next trotting session in this weekend. Did not find the sponge. It likely fell off in the creek, if so...the creek flooded and it should be floating down the Ohio river about now. Keep an eye out, will ya?
June 11, 2016 another session of sustained trotting. One hour, 5.1 mph average. Extremely humid this morning.
June 13, 2016 We continue working on sustained trotting. We trot the flats and the uphills, we walk the downs. Tonight we did the south loop which if you go out and come back the same way is 4 1/2 miles. Historically I rarely get her to break over a 4 mph average due to mud and hills. She averaged 5.6 mph tonight and the trip took us about 45 minutes. It is single track trail, with a lot of hills and only a few flats, so for Journey this was a terrific improvement. She will get three days now to "just be a horse" and my hope is a long one this weekend, and every two weeks there after until we can compete again. June 19, short pleasure ride. June 20th back to the 4 1/2 mile loop. We did not make our time goal this afternoon. Journey got headstrong and wanted to gallop for home (unasked) so I had to shut her down, and enforced that she walk home. Extremely hot and humid today, though I was only out less than an hour it was almost too much for me. Journey was blowing still when we got home so she got the cold hose until she cooled off.

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HORSE ESTIMATED SPEED OF GAITS

-----------------------------------------Approximate Speeds of Gaits
Horse Walking: 3-4mph
Slow Trot: 4-5 mph
Medium Trot: 5-8 mph
Fast Trot: 6-11 mph
Canter: 8-15 mph
Hand Gallop: 12-25 mph
-----------------------------------------
Remember that LSD (long slow distance) training is usually done at a slow to medium trot. If you are tracking this with your Garmin, set your training assistant at 5 or 6 mph and it will sound an alarm when you drop below that speed. The actual speed of any gait will depend on the horse, the length of that horse's stride, impulsion, and how the individual horse moves. Most horses will fall somewhere within these averages.------------------------------------------------

PULSE, TEMPERATURE, RESPIRATION, CAPILLARY REFILL, & MUCOUS MEMBRANES

************************************************Learn and record your horse's baseline vital signs. Keep a record of your horse's pulse recovery ten minutes after ending a premeasured distance (such as a 1 mile hill), or a 5 mile trail that you will ride weekly. By keeping a record you will have a measure of your progress. Does your horse drop down to normal parameters within 10 minutes of stopping? By recording the air temperature, humidity, your speed & time, you will get a clear idea of your horse's improvement, or lack of it. ************************************************The Equine's..............................................Normal temperature: 99-101 degrees F for a mature horse. Danger zone is 102 or above.

Normal resting pulse rate: 40-50 beats per minute for a mature horse, 45-60 for yearlings, and 70-120 for foals.

Resting Respiration for a mature horse: 8-15 breaths per minute. In a working horse, breaths should never exceed the pulse rate. A panting horse is working harder than condition warrants, or may be in serious metabolic distress.

Capillary refill is how long it takes the blood supply to return the horse's upper gum tissue. You do this by pressing firmly for two seconds to cause a with blanched spot, remove your finger, and the gum should return to normal color within 2 seconds. A slower refill time may indicate the horse is having problems.

MucousMembranes: the gums of the horse should be moist and pink (lighter pink than human gums). Very pale, bright red, gray blue, or bright yellow gums may indicate serious problems requiring veterinary assistance.

May 23, 2010 Mixing up the gaits, terrain hilly with a few miles of flats. 20 miles distance, temperature 88 degrees, humidity high. Ate well at the halfway, cleaned up a gatorade wet mash, oats, had her electrolytes. Second half of ride tanked up on water three different times. Pulse down to criteria 55 bpm @ 10 minutes.

May 21, 2010 Hill intervals (1/4 mile x's 4) working pulse 170, still dropping in 10 seconds to aerobic phase. The rest was slow hill work, and a canter down the field. Distance 5 miles, short intense workout. Pulse down at home 56 bpm @10 minutes.

August 2, 2009 Hills, hills, more hills, hot and humid. 7 miles total.

August 1, 2009 Hills hills hills. Hot and Humid. Phebes was a turd. 7 miles total.

July 27th, 2009 We covered 10 miles, started out slow, then did intermittant walk/trots, climbed the BIG hill eight times. 86.3 °F and 47% humidity with zero wind.

July 21st, 2009 75.8 °F, 66% humidity, wind ZERO. We covered 7.6 miles in about 1 hour and 23 minutes. Slow by many standards, but at least we were managing a trot on the flats, and some of the uphills.

July 19, 2009 Went for a 1 hour pleasure ride, 4.6 miles. Short canter in the field coming home. Temps in the upper seventies.

July 18, 2009 Temps in the mid-seventies, low humidity, 15 miles in the Deam Wilderness. Rolling hills, technical trail. Pulse down to criteria 2 minutes.

July 13, 2009 Temps in the mid-80's, humid 8 miles of rolling hills. Pulse down to criteria took 5 minutes.

June 17, 2009 HOT, HUMID, MISERABLE weather, 5 miles of hoof sucking, MUD MUD MUD. Post ride soaked her down with tepid water, rubbed her down with a towel, then we tied up to the horse trailer for a front hoof trim (thank you ole great LSEGH).

June 15, 2009 hot and humid, 8.5 miles of deep hoof sucking mud, she was below criteria when I dismounted at 48 bpm.

June 13, 2009 Muddy, humid, hot. Covered 6.5 miles of hilly terrain testing out the heart monitor and readings at various gaits.

June 9, 2009 one hour of walk trot arena work.

June 7,2009 we did 6 miles of slow trail work, and some slow hill climbing. Temps in the mid seventies, dry, slightly humid, but not bad. Footing was mostly dry.

June 6, 2009 2 hours at the park, walking with some intermittent trotting, 8 miles with an average pace a little over 4 mph.

June 2, 2009 15 minute arena warm up and 1 hour of trail work.

June 1, 2009 I split her sessions today. This morning she had ground work, and trotting on and off line for 30 minutes with short walking intervals. This afternoon we did under saddle intervals. Phebes did great, but the heat is kind of getting to me.